Not Your Enemy
by FireLordFrowny
Summary: After a battle gone wrong, Prince Zuko finds himself stranded, hideously and helplessly injured, and the only person around or willing to help him is the Avatar. This is a story of conflict, compassion, and understanding, as the two boys each learn to appreciate the other's motives. (There may be some Zutara content in the future! But for now it just deals with Aang and Zuko.)
1. The Fall

**Author's Note: **there are a few details in the backstories that aren't 100% accurate. This is partially out of laziness and partially out of creative license.

...

"Zuko!" Aang cried out over the rush of wind as the Fire Prince clung to him and his glider. The two had carelessly cast themselves over the edge of a cliff in the heat of their fight and while Aang readied his glider to save the both of them, Zuko wasn't about to give up. He clawed and tore at the glider, grunting desperately. Aang pleaded, "You have to stop! You can fight me once we reach the ground!"

If Zuko had heard him, he didn't show it.

"Zuko! You're gonna get us both-"

The prince's fist shot out in a fury, sending a fireball burning through one of the glider's

wings. The craft began to plummet, and the boys hollered out their terror as they crashed down, down, down.

When Aang woke up, it might have been minutes later. Or it could have been hours. He couldn't tell. His head throbbed and his body ached and upon opening his eyes, all he could make out were vague, blurry, vertical lines that were obscured by blinding light and blue sky. He laid there for a few moments, breathing deeply until his vision shifted into focus - tree tops. He was staring at tree tops. And as he glanced around, he saw many hundreds more trees. Moving around a little, he felt rocks and vines and thorns scraping against his skin - felt insects and worms squirming underneath him, and felt the ache of his sore bones as he struggled to sit upright. There, in front of him, was his glider - snapped in two.

What happened? He thought to himself, having no memory of the fight or the fall. The sight of his glider tore him to bits inside, but a sound distracted him from his grief. From behind him came an awful groan, and a sickly familiar voice.

Aang turned to find Prince Zuko, slumped against a tree, tending to a badly injured and quickly swelling knee. "No..." The firebender moaned and writhed. "No, no, no, NO!" He slammed his fists angrily into the ground, igniting all the leaf litter around him.

With a yelp Aang leapt into the air to avoid the scalding heat, and quickly bent the flames away with a gust of wind. When he was back on his feet - still shaky from the shock of the impact - Aang said simply, "You're hurt."

As if Zuko hadn't realized it. But for what it was worth, the fire prince may as well not have even heard the Avatar. He was far too distressed. It wasn't even the pain that overwhelmed him - how would he capture the Avatar if he couldn't even walk? Gritting his teeth, Zuko pressed his back against the tree and struggled to stand. But his leg gave underneath him and sent him back down with a hard thud as he cried out miserably.

Aang knew he could run - he could hightail it back to his friends and they'd be well on their way, free from the burden of knowing the Prince of the Fire Nation was close behind. He could have left him there to fend for himself in this nowhere-land. But when Aang looked at him there, helpless on the ground, all he could think about was that same teenage boy being helpless back at the North Pole. Aang had saved him then, and even with all the strife that boy caused him and his friends, never once did he regret it.

No sooner than Aang took his first step toward Zuko, did Zuko lash out with angst and ferocity. He must have put every ounce of his rage into punching fireballs out at Aang's feet, letting out a gruesome grunt with each blow. Aang, with such ease that it enraged Zuko further, slipped and slid out of the paths of the attacks, until he was standing right upon the fallen enemy.

"Zuko, you have to calm down. Let me see." He urged, standing with palms outward.

"Come any closer to me, and I'll _incinerate_ you!" Zuko snarled like a beast, teeth bared and all. There was something, Aang noticed, profoundly pathetic about the anger glowering in Zuko's golden eyes. That's when Aang started remembering.

When the two had been fighting earlier, Aang began to notice something peculiar about the older boy - that his frantic attacks and his grunts of frustration seemed more desperate than angry, and more terrified than evil. And it was around the time of this realization that they each lost their footing and began to fall. Zuko had let out a shrill yell of terror, unable to save himself, while Aang was safe on his glider within moments. He didn't even have to convince himself to swoop down and rescue Zuko - he just sort of did it. It was the "Aang" thing to do. And it was that decision, it seemed, that wound them up down here, together, in the middle of nowhere and with at least two hundred vertical feet between where they ended up, and where they'd been before.

Aang remained where he was, and sat down cross-legged on the ground with his hands folded in his lap, looking Zuko over carefully. He was in bad shape. Terrible, even. Aside from the obvious knee injury, he was covered in other bruises and scrapes and contusions. His nose was dark and his lower lip busted from where his face must have slammed into the ground. Blood seeped through his clothing in blotches and streaks. The child looked gnarly. Nothing like the prestigious royalty from which he descended.

"That looks like a bad sprain." Aang addressed Zuko's knee. "And you're bleeding. We can't stay here," he said, craning his neck up and around to observe the expanse of wilderness around them. "It's too vulnerable. We need to find shelter."

"_We_ don't need to do _anything._" Zuko was volatile. He could feel his heart racing - adrenaline flooded his entire body, numbing the pain and amplifying the desperate rage. "What _I_ need to do is get back to the Fire Nation, and with _you_ as my prisoner!"

"Well," Aang began, "you're not going anywhere on that leg without any help." With that he stood, and extended a hand to Zuko.

"Get out of here!" He growled back, smoke wafting from his clenched fists. "Leave me be!"

"I will not leave you." Aang was stern. "If I leave you, you could die."

"All the better for you! Get moving unless you want to get burnt to a crisp!"

For a while they stared long and hard at each other - Aang, with curiosity and confusion, and Zuko with a faithful, unwavering disdain. The latter won the contest, it seemed, because Aang finally sighed to himself, turned around, and began to walk away.

But he couldn't get those eyes out of his head. Those eyes that he could only imagine were still locked on him so fixedly and with such contempt that he felt like he should catch on fire - those eyes, belonging to an enemy whose motives, he was starting to believe, were much more complex than simply "capture the Avatar." With each step away that Aang took, he felt as though he was not only leaving behind a living, breathing, feeling human being, but also leaving behind an opportunity. He looked over his shoulder to find Zuko doubled over with his face in his hands, lamenting his helplessness - his gross failure.

So Aang turned to face him again, standing strong and firm.

"If I don't make it back to my friends soon," he said measuredly, "they will try to find me. Who will try to find you?"

Zuko hoped he didn't show it, but those words hit him with much the same impact that he'd hit the ground with. Who would try to find me? He wondered to himself. There was Uncle Iroh... but Zuko had left him behind long ago. Or was it even that long ago? He couldn't remember. But he couldn't imagine after everything he'd done and said to Iroh, that the old man have any interest in speaking to him ever again. Zuko had a home with Iroh once, just like he'd had a home in the Fire Nation. But, he thought, he'd done a pretty spectacular job of ruining both of those. The only people who would come looking for him were the people sent out to imprison him. With a sinking feeling in his gut, Zuko realized that the Avatar was right - he couldn't go anywhere. Not without help.

Glaring up at the airbender through messy hair, he said lowly and warily, "...Why should I trust you to help me?"

"When have I ever meant you harm?" Aang answered, and once more Zuko found himself taken aback. He really couldn't remember any time that the Avatar had made a move at him that wasn't defensive.

With an expression that was now slightly more inquisitive than angry, Zuko said "...You could end me right now, Avatar. And make sure I never get in your way again. Why don't you?"

And with those words, Aang realized something odd.

He asked, cocking his head to a curious angle, "Zuko... do you even know what my name is?"

Fire ignited in Zuko's eyes again and he exploded, _"I don't care about your name!"_

"Okay! Okay!" Aang shrunk back a little, holding up his hands in surrender.

"I didn't need to know it before, and I certainly don't need to know it now,_ Avatar._" Zuko spat the title like it was a slur, and Aang felt it like an attack on his spirit.

Suddenly, Aang wasn't so sure what he was doing. "...Come on. We'd better get moving," He said.


	2. Tense

"Well that was intense," Sokka commented, out of breath. He, along with Toph and Katara, had just finished driving off Azula's relentless gang yet again. They began packing up all their gear, anxious to get out of the area.

"Yeah, No kidding." Toph had her arms crossed over her chest obstinately, while Sokka and Katara scrambled to pack their gear onto Appa.

Sokka said, "Come on, guys. The faster we get far, far away from here, the better."

"Definitely." Katara agreed as they climbed onto the sky bison, Sokka taking his position on its head.

"Hold it!" Toph hadn't budged from her spot on the ground. "Aren't we forgetting something _a bit_ important? Where's Twinkle-Toes?"

Silence fell over the group as Katara and Sokka each glanced at each other, and then around them, and then at each other again.

"Well he was here just a minute ago..." Sokka muttered.

"With Zuko!" Katara realized in horror. She remembered the North Pole - having to watch Zuko run off with an unconscious Aang, and fearing she'd never see him again. "Oh _no_... Aang? Aang!" She called out. When nobody replied, Toph shrugged her shoulders. "No... What if Zuko has him? We have to go find them before they get too far."

Sokka deepened his voice and straightened up his posture. "No. That's not the right move. Aang is smart. If he is with Zuko, I'm sure he can hold his own."

"So then what would you suggest?" Katara snapped, glaring at her brother. "Just_ leaving_ him with the angsty kid who's been trying to capture him?"

"Of course not. But if Aang comes back, someone needs to be here waiting for him. If he's not back soon, will you be okay with Appa and Momo while me and Toph go out and search?"

Katara nodded, setting her jaw stubbornly.

"No," Toph interjected. "Let me do it. You two will search for Aang. I'll stay. If anyone tries to sneak up on me, I'll feel it way before either of you could see it."

"Good plan," Sokka said as they all nodded in agreement. "For now, let's just sit tight and see if he makes it back."

The group settled themselves once more, though it wasn't like they could make themselves comfortable with the knowledge that Aang and Zuko could be off somewhere alone. Gazing out at the horizon where she'd last seen her friend, Katara said softly to herself, "Where are you, Aang?"

...

The terrain was dense, dense, dense. It seemed there were more vines than ground - most of them armed with thorns. Sharp rocks threatened to twist ankles and roots reached out ready to trip. Aang and Zuko hobbled along awkwardly - the taller boy's arm slung over the shorter one's shoulder, Aang's small frame struggling to support Zuko through the undergrowth... every now and then Zuko stifled pained moans and gasps - he was much too proud to show all the pain. But Aang new.

"You're getting worse. We need to stop."

"I'm fine." Zuko insisted.

"Your knee is the size of a papaya."

"I said _I'm fine_."

"But-"

"_Do you want to find shelter or don't you?_" Zuko quipped sharply enough that Aang flinched away a little. "We _will_ keep moving, and I _will_ be fine." The pain was immense, but he for sure had known worse pain... and in more ways than one. He felt the Avatar shift around uncomfortably underneath his weight and mutter something annoyed, bringing him out of his bitter reverie.

"You're pretty big, you know." Aang observed with frustration.

"You're just small."

"Yeah, that's true... but I _am_ only twelve. Well, one hundred and twelve, really, but who's counting?"

Wow, Zuko thought silently, and with disgust. What kind of monster hunts down and fights a twelve year old? Quickly he reminded himself, _one who doesn't have a choice._

"Please stop talking to me." His tone was rigid like a marching army.

"I'm just trying to-"

"Stop trying to." Then he pointed a little ways off in the distance. "There's a hollow tree trunk over there."

Reluctantly, Aang heeded Zuko's wishes for him to stop talking, and the two made their way over to the massive trunk - it was easily large enough for them to fit inside comfortably after sliding through the narrow slit at its base. Aang helped Zuko in first before climbing in after him, and Zuko, relieved to be off of his feet, immediately began to clutch at his knee and seethe out his pain in deep, frustrated breaths.

Aang didn't stop to rest before getting to work, untying the sash around his waist and tearing it into strips.

"What are you doing?" Zuko asked, raising an eyebrow. Inwardly, Aang noted that it was the most human expression he'd ever seen the firebender make.

"Put your leg down flat so I can wrap it."

Zuko obeyed, easing his swollen limb down to the ground, and eyeing Aang suspiciously as he began to wind the strips around the knee, tying them tightly enough that if Zuko didn't have as much pride as he did, he probably would have winced or made a noise in protest. "You should know, Avatar," his voice was as loathing as a hiss, "that I think you are a fool for helping me."

Aang was unphased, and continued to focus on the task at hand. "Maybe I am. But you do need help, and right now I'm the only person around who can give it." At that, Zuko crossed his arms over his chest and turned his head to stare stubbornly out into the forest. After just a few seconds, though, Aang found himself reeling over Zuko's words. Was he really a fool? Aang thought there might have been as much wisdom in leaving Zuko behind as there was in helping him, and he didn't understand how or why he decided to help. No, not just decided... he'd _insisted._ Aang remembered the way his friends had reacted at the North Pole. They didn't approve then, and he knew they certainly wouldn't approve now. No one would.

"...Earlier, you asked me why I don't just end you." Aang started, and Zuko's eyes shifted a little in Aang's direction. "I believe that all life is sacred. Even yours." Aang wasn't looking, but he could feel Zuko's gaze boring into his soul.

"Taking it is the only way you'll ever stop me."

Aang's heart lurched. It felt like it had outright stopped beating upon Zuko's remark. For a minute, he stayed still. He didn't look up at Zuko, he didn't let his horror show on his face as he wondered just how ruined someone had to be to speak so candidly - so _tauntingly_ - about their own death. When he regained his composure, he said, "...There is always another way. Always."

"Name one." Zuko challenged.

"Talking," Aang offered as he tucked in the last ends of the makeshift bandage. "Talking is one."

Exasperated, Zuko wiped one hand over his exhausted face and said, mostly to himself, "You have got to be kidding me..."

"Not kidding at all. We spend so much time fighting each other that I've never gotten to ask you why."

Zuko screwed his face up as if to say how stupid he thought that question was. "_Why?_ Because I am the Fire Prince!"

"The _banished_ Fire Prince," Aang corrected, and instantly regretted it. He saw the rage build up in Zuko's body like steam and before he knew otherwise, the prince was lunging at him, equipped with fire daggers. Aang dodged the attacks, but only barely - the sleeve of his shirt was singed.

"HOW DARE YOU!" Zuko's voice cracked with shame. How dare anyone remind him of the one thing he woke up every morning wishing he could forget? The thing that kept him from being able to see his own reflection without feeling sick to his stomach...

"Sorry! Sorry! Jeez..." Aang was startled and shaking. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"I'm always upset." Lamented Zuko, smoke curling up from his clenched fists.

"I just think maybe... just maybe, if you tried to help me understand why you're doing this, I could help you find another way."

Zuko looked away again, his countenance radiating with slow-burning heat. "You could never_ understand._"

"I'm willing to try..." Aang was sincere.

"You and I are done talking."

The Avatar felt the finality in Zuko's words, and, with a sigh, sunk his shoulders and gave up.

"...Your knee needs ice," he said, downcast. "I should go find some water to bend."

Aang crawled from out of the tree, then leapt out into the forest.


	3. Understanding

Zuko, alone.

He was getting quite used to being alone. But that didn't mean it ever got easier.

Sometimes being alone was nice - no judging eyes drilling into him, no whispers about his scar... being alone was the only way he could ever really just be _Zuko_. The problem, though, was that he couldn't really remember who that was. But more often than it being nice, being alone was mostly just... lonely. And the worst part of being lonely, Zuko thought, was that it meant being alone with his thoughts. When he had Uncle, at least he knew he'd be willing to listen if Zuko ever decided to talk. Not that Zuko ever really decided to talk, but if he wanted to, he could have... he never realized how much that knowledge meant to him until the luxury was gone. All his feelings - and there were so many feelings - stayed locked up tight inside now, not because he wanted it that way, but because he didn't have a choice.

Until now.

Zuko stared thoughtfully at the spot where the Avatar had been sitting. It made him angry. So, so angry, that the prize of his life's ambition - his ticket back to normalcy - had been so close to him, yet he was powerless to take advantage of it. What made him even angrier was how _nice_ the boy was being. Zuko didn't deserve kindness... he didn't deserve anything other than to be left there. It all felt like a sick joke. The Avatar had given some lame excuse about how "life is sacred," but Zuko couldn't fathom anything about his life that was sacred. How could it be sacred when he felt as though he'd rather die than live the rest of his life as a disgrace to his country - to his family? When his own father had always been so willing to dispose of him? There was part of him - a disturbingly significant part - that wished the Avatar _would_ just end him.

But no. The Avatar just wanted to talk.

And after thinking about it for a little while, Zuko realized that maybe that's what he needed. To talk.

...

_What a strange day_, Aang was musing to himself as he made his way back to the tree. He'd fashioned a sack from another torn bit of his clothing, and was carrying in it a chunk of ice for Zuko's leg that he'd bent from a nearby creek. _What a strange kid. What a strange thing I'm doing..._ He wondered about his friends and how they fared in their fight against Azula and her team. Over and over he told himself they were fine as he struggled to justify why in the world he was prioritizing Zuko over his friends - his new family.

_Because someone has to be there for him_, Aang thought. _My friends have each other. Zuko doesn't have anyone_. He could see now that there were things very wrong with Zuko. He could also see that Zuko had no intention of sharing whatever it was. But Aang felt obligated. If he couldn't get inside the banished prince's head, he could at least help get him back on his feet. That was the right thing to do... right?

The Fire Prince was asleep when Aang returned. While it didn't appear to be a very restful sleep, Aang thought it was the most relaxed he'd ever seen him. His head was lolling forward, slowly rising and falling with the pattern of his breath. Under different circumstances, he could almost imagine the prince looking peaceful - even with the permanent scowl that was burned into him. Shaking the pity out of his head, he placed the ice gently on Zuko's knee, then set about cleaning the other wounds all over.

Minutes later, Aang didn't realize that Zuko had awoken.

Prince Zuko didn't remember falling asleep, but he was roused by the stinging sensation of his cuts and bruises being dabbed at with cloth. He opened his eyes to see the Avatar leaning over his legs, focused on treating the wounds as best as he knew how. For a while Zuko just watched. He wondered what it was inside the young airbender that allowed him to treat him so kindly. Then again, he _was_ the Avatar. The Avatar was honorable by nature. Not vengeful or spiteful or selfish. That all made Zuko sick. But only because he was so immensely envious.

Somehow he convinced himself to say, quietly and hoarsely, "...I spoke out of turn during a war meeting."

Aang looked up suddenly, not really startled, but surprised that Zuko volunteered his words at all. "What?"

"That's what led to my banishment."

And with that, Aang stopped what he was doing and sat up straight to look Zuko in the eyes.

"The general..." Zuko went on, feeling like the words were just tumbling out all on their own. "...was about to move forward with a motion that would kill many innocent people and I tried to stop him."

Aang's forehead wrinkled as his eyebrows rose in compassion. "And that's when you were banished."

A lump formed in Zuko's throat. There was so much more to the story but it seemed the words decided to stop coming out all by themselves. While Aang stared expectantly, Zuko tried to concentrate on the dull, cold pain in his leg, instead of on memories of his last days at home.

"...You have a cut on the back of your head," Zuko pointed out, desperate to change the subject. Aang reached back to feel it, and his fingers came away bloody. "You should let me tend to it."

Aang nodded, and turned so that Zuko could access the wound. He allowed himself a smile as the firebender began to dab away dirt and blood. Aang never imagined that he could turn his back on the Prince of the Fire Nation and not have to worry about getting stabbed. Perhaps he could get through to Zuko after all. But soon that smile faded into a look of confusion. How could Zuko have been so concerned about saving innocent lives, yet show no hesitation when he burned down the village on Kyoshi Island? Or when he grabbed Katara and Sokka's grandmother so violently and humiliated her in front of the whole tribe? Aang bit his lip as he pondered, but his thoughts were interrupted by a sharp jolt of pain at the back of his head that caused him to flinch a little.

"Sorry," Zuko apologized, and Aang was surprised to hear that it sounded sincere. "I know I'm not very gentle."

With a laugh Aang said, "You're doing fine."

"Do you know where we are, Avatar?" He asked, frustrated.

"Nope. I don't even know how we're gonna find our way out of here."

Zuko was annoyed with how content the Avatar sounded - like it didn't bother him at all to be lost in the middle of a strange forest. Then again, the Avatar wasn't the one with the crippling injury.

"Can't you just fly up and see a way out?"

"You mean on the glider you broke?"

He'd already forgotten about that. "...Oh."

"It's no big deal," Aang tried to amend. "Well, no. It is a big deal. Huge, actually. But worrying about that won't help now."

"Well... we could climb out." Zuko sounded optimistic. "Just head back to the cliff and scale the wall."

"Hah! Something tells me you're not in any condition to be climbing out of anywhere."

At that Zuko growled and wound his hands tightly into his hair. "Ugh! I'm so stupid... Uncle always tells me I never think things through." _Told me,_ he inwardly corrected himself. _Uncle always _told me_ I never think things through._ "I guess he's right. I was so desperate to capture you that I didn't even consider..." He sighed, and pressed his palm against his forehead. "What was I thinking? Bringing us both down like that... We could have been killed."

Aang replied gently. "The important thing is that we weren't. I mean, you can't capture me if you're dead, and-"

"And you can't defeat my father." Zuko's tone suddenly went dark. He sounded much less like the hurting, human Zuko that Aang was just beginning to appreciate, and more like the ruthless, merciless Prince he'd been accustomed to.

Aang felt a chill run down his spine and through his limbs. "That's weird..."

"What's weird?"

"I dunno." He shrugged a little. "I guess, I always knew you were the Prince of the Fire Nation, but I never really put it together that..." unwilling to say the words, Zuko did it for him.

"That the man you've set out to vanquish is my father?"

That chill in Aang's body became a pang. He knew the day was inevitable, but he tried hard not to think about the actual moment where he'd...

"... 'Vanquish" isn't the word I'd use..."

"Remove?" Zuko's voice sounded the way knife blades felt. "Neutralize? _Kill?_"

Aang was sheepish, and found himself the most uncomfortable he'd been thus far. "'Remove' sounds kinda nice..."

"Call it what you like, Avatar. Let's not, either of us, ignore what's happening here. Let's not forget who we are to each other. _I_ am the son of _your_ enemy. And _that_ is why you can never understand. And why there is no _other way_."

They were quiet for a little while - the tension radiated between them, filling the hollow tree with an uncomfortableness that caused Aang to need to move around. He shifted so that he was leaning on the opposite wall of the tree, facing Zuko.

"You know..." he finally said in a quiet, thoughtful voice, "I don't know who my parents were."

Zuko's hard stare softened as Aang continued, "But if I did, I can't imagine that my blood would mean more to me than the peace and safety of the entire world."

"Like I said." Zuko was dismissive. "You could never understand. Things don't work in the Fire Nation the same way they did in your little air temples one hundred years ago. Where I come from there is nothing more sacred than blood. And the most dishonorable deed is to disgrace your blood..." Then he paused, caught up in himself as he cast his gaze downward and lowered his voice to just above a croaking whisper. "I should know."

"What do you mean?"

"...I wasn't banished simply for speaking out of turn." Zuko began. He wanted to hang his head low in shame but he wouldn't dare let his enemy see that side of him. So he looked straight ahead, and tried to avoid the Avatar's eyes. "To teach me respect, my father demanded I fight him in an Agni Kai. And when I refused... that's when he banished me. But not before granting me this... parting gift." Zuko turned and inclined his head to such an angle where all that was visible to the Avatar was his vicious scar. "He told me that I would learn respect. And that suffering would be my teacher. My own father... struck me down even though I was pleading with him on my hands and knees. And now the only way I can ever return home... the only way for me to restore my honor... is to bring back the Avatar as my prisoner."

Aang was speechless. He was horrified and stricken and truly didn't know what to say. His mouth hung open as though caught in the middle of his breath as he leaned forward a little, racking his mind to think of anything, anything at all, that could possibly be said after the horror he'd just heard.

When he couldn't think of anything, Zuko smirked a tired, gentle smirk and said, "So now you know."

Aang could feel wetness welling up in his eyes and he willed the tears to recede, staying quiet until he could be sure that his voice wouldn't shake. "Zuko... I'm sorry."

Zuko's heart palpitated a little. Aang was... sorry? He couldn't remember the last time anyone other than his uncle had offered any sort of apology. Nobody thought he deserved one. After all - even if anyone had thought what had been done to Zuko was wrong, it was no one's place to question the decisions of the Firelord.

"For what?" He asked, confused.

"F_or what?_ For... for what you've been put through. Nobody deserves to be treated that way."

Zuko couldn't believe what he was hearing, and he didn't really know how to feel about it. He turned away. "Thank you, Avatar, for saying that. But you are wrong. And so was I."

Aang leaned forward earnestly. "For trying to save innocent people? For not wanting to _duel_ your _father_?"

_He just doesn't get it,_ Zuko thought angrily. How could the Avatar get it? Zuko didn't know much about the Air Nomads, but he knew they were peaceful and unimposing and carefree - three things he didn't think the Fire Nation had ever been. There was no way the airbender could understand what life what life was like as royalty in the Fire Nation. "No," with frustration, he answered. "For disobeying orders."

"But Zuko... those people you wanted to save... those are the_ same people_ you're putting in danger by trying to turn me over to the Fire Nation."

"Don't you think I _know_ that?" His words were rough with anger and shame.

"But..." with big, sad eyes, Aang struggled to understand. "Then why...?

Zuko shook with passion and strife. "Because I _want_ my _honor_ _back!_" He seethed deeply while the Avatar looked on empathetically. Zuko recognized it as a look of judgement, but there was something different about it than the looks he used to get from his crew members before Zhao took over his ship. This judgement wasn't negative or hurtful or condemning... it was pure and unbiased and honest. Zuko thought, it's almost divine. It was the sort of judgement that only an Avatar could cast upon anyone. "I _deserve _my honor back."

"You know what I think you deserve?" Aang said lowly. "Zuko, I think you deserve better than to be expected to prove yourself to a tyrant by condemning the rest of the world to a fate worse than the one that's been forced on you."

He tried to hide it, but Zuko was distraught. He couldn't remember the last time anyone told him he deserved anything other than all the shame and embarrassment that he'd been carrying with him since the day he was forced to leave home. He tried to internalize the Avatar's words... make them feel true in his heart, but it was like there was a black hole inside of him that just sucked up anything remotely hopeful. "Tyrant?" Wistfully, he said. "He is my father. He is my_ king_. And I need for him to love me. I will do_ whatever it takes_ for him to love me."

Aang knew from the look in Zuko's eyes and from the conviction in his voice, that their talk would not yield any further results. "...There's really nothing else I can say, is there?"

Zuko did not reply, but the intensity in his gaze didn't waver.

"...The sun is going down." Aang finally conceded. "You should make a fire."


	4. With Respect

Katara and Sokka had gotten weary as they made their way through dense, swampy terrain, thick with vines and roots. Sokka made his passage easier by slashing at obstacles with his machete, and Katara, by bending the vines out of her way.

"Aang!" She cried out, her voice now hoarse from calling for her lost friend.

"Katara,_ shh._" Sokka chastised, pressing his hands down against the air. "Lower your voice."

"What do you mean 'lower my voice?'" She snapped back. She'd gone crazy with worry over the past several hours. "There's still no sign of Aang!"

Sokka reached out to grasp Katara's arm. "That's true. And if he's smart, it'll stay that way. There's no telling what lives around here... we don't want to be drawing attention to ourselves. Not at night. If he's out here, he's laying low until morning. And so should we."

"How can you be so calm? Aang is missing! The Avatar, my friend, OUR FRIEND is missing! Why aren't you upset?"

"Katara! _Of course_ I'm upset. I'm just as worried as you are. And I want to get him back. That's why we need. To think. Clearly. And we need to stay safe. Okay?" Sokka soothed, holding his sister's shoulders as she breathed deeply.

"...I know. I know. I just can't stop thinking about... what if Zuko...?"

Sokka wouldn't let her finish. "It'll never happen," he interrupted. "Aang is smart and talented. Zuko is just... pure evil. Smart and talented beats pure evil every time. For now, let's just find a safe place to camp out for the night."

Reluctantly, Katara nodded. "Do you think Toph is okay?"

"Pfft. Of course Toph is okay. She's Toph."

...

Aang couldn't have slept if he tried, and he didn't understand how Zuko managed to sleep, himself. Maybe he was just flat out exhausted, perhaps emotionally and physically. Watching the prince thoughtfully, Aang felt sick for him. How deeply wounded the firebender must have been, to be unable to fathom other options for himself. How thoroughly wrecked and torn the Firelord rendered his own son. How awful it must have been for Zuko to never be able to look at himself without seeing his father's disdain for him seared into his face. Suddenly, Aang no longer knew how to feel about the Fire Prince. Was he a villain or a victim? And did it matter at all?

Aang knew his duties as the Avatar were to restore balance and peace wherever and however necessary, and he could see quite clearly that there was nothing balanced or peaceful about Prince Zuko at all. Getting through to the Prince of the Fire Nation would be a massive victory, Aang thought. But Zuko was so profoundly corrupted... Aang shamefully admitted to himself that he wasn't sure if salvation was possible. But he knew he had to try. Even Prince Zuko deserved a chance - it didn't seem like he'd ever been given one before.

...A faint rustling in the night caught Aang's attention. Then the sounds of animalistic breathing, and of furred limbs rubbing against each other. Paws padding around, encroaching nearer and nearer to the tree. He sat very still, eyes locked onto Zuko, hoping the Fire Prince would stay quiet and asleep until the creature walked away. Sure enough though, the young man began to stir, groaning slightly.

The Prince's eyes fluttered open lazily, and when they finally adjusted to the darkness, he saw the Avatar pressing one finger to his lips, staring intently at him.

They sat in warry silence for a few minutes before either of them relaxed. Aang exhaled his relief and said, "I think it's gone. That was a close one."

"What _was_ it?" asked Prince Zuko, visibly disturbed by the event.

"I don't know. But we could have been easily discovered in here. Maybe we should relocate."

"Maybe," Zuko agreed, absently shifting around until the pain that shot through his knee stopped him. He cried out, clenching his jaw and grasping at the limb.

"It still hurts?" Aang's brow furrowed with concern.

"Yeah…" Zuko sort of grunted under his breath, "pretty badly." With that, he bent the glowing embers back into a steadily burning flame so they could see better. "But I'm fine."

Moving closer to examine the swollen injury, Aang went pale at the sight. "No, you're not. Zuko… you're really, really not."

"...I know. I know, it's bad."

"You're going to need a healer. Soon. Here, let's get this shoe off." Gently, Aang set to work about loosening Zuko's shoe, trying to maneuver it from the now bulbous foot without causing too much pain. It must not have been working, though; Zuko was pressing the back of his head hard into the tree trunk, squinting his eyes shut and exhaling his agony sharply through his nose until finally, the shoe came off. He wouldn't look down at himself - he got all the information on his condition he needed from the deeply grim look on the Avatar's face.

Quietly, Aang said "...Oh man…"

The limb was visibly deformed, blood pooling underneath the skin and turning an ever deepening shade of purple. The sight, when Zuko finally looked, made him want to vomit. "Great… just great." He lamented, nauseated.

"It's way worse than we thought."

"You don't say!" He rolled his eyes, irritated.

"I gotta help you get out of here," Aang began, gathering up his things. "There must be a town or a village nearby. Maybe someone there will know how to help you. We should leave now. Now, before it gets worse."

Zuko nodded, and ground his teeth through the pain as the airbender helped him to his feet, and then with his arm slung over the younger boy's shoulders, the two set out into the night.

...

As the sun rose, Aang couldn't help but admire the prince's perseverance. After every vile thing that poor child had been through, never once did he think about slowing down or giving up. Even with a torn and battered leg, he pressed on as steadily as he could.

"You need a break," Aang said, knowing that Zuko would be too proud to suggest it himself.

"I am fine." He tried to disguise the pain in his voice as bitterness.

"Well then _I_ need a break." It wasn't exactly untrue - Aang was strong, sure, but Zuko was a significant burden to bear for so long without stopping.

"Don't be a weakling," Zuko grunted, though he had no choice but to follow Aang's lead over to the edge of a creek where Aang eased him down onto a boulder.

"There's nothing weak about knowing when to rest. We'll get going again soon."

Zuko, exasperated, rolled his eyes and shifted so that his back was turned to the Avatar. Aang rolled his eyes, too, and went to go dip his feet into the creek, wiggling his toes around in the cool, muddy bottom. After a few moments of inward debate, he finally said, "Zuko, I think you have a misunderstanding of what 'honor' is."

Zuko huffed, looking over his shoulder to glare at him. "Until you know what it's like for your own honor to be compromised, I _don't_ care for your opinion on the matter."

"See, that's just it," Aang said rationally. "You think that because I'm the Avatar, everything I do or say is good and honorable."

"And it's not?" He challenged with bitterness.

Sighing deeply, Aang hung his head down low. "...What I'm about to tell you is something I've never told anyone."

"Then you shouldn't tell me." Zuko crossed his arms over his chest.

"No. You need to hear this. And I need to say it." There was something about the Avatar's tone that made Zuko curious enough to maneuver around to face him - something dark that he could relate to, like a sense of sorrow and shame, both of which were feelings he didn't expect the Avatar to know the first thing about. Then Aang said, "I never wanted to be the Avatar. After I found out, my whole life became a nightmare. ...The monks thought I was spending too much time playing. So they were going to send me away to another temple where I didn't know anyone. And I didn't want to go!"

Zuko found himself trying to imagine Aang 100 years ago being a normal little boy, playing with friends, laughing, frivolous and carefree. It was so strange to think about… so absurd to imagine this icon of benevolence and raw power being a… _child._ But that tone of voice, the way he whined and lamented about being sent away from home - _I didn't want to go,_ he'd complained, sounding every bit what a normal twelve year old should sound like. Zuko almost found himself looking at the boy sympathetically, but he quickly fixed his expression back to its trademark hardness.

The Avatar continued, "So… I… I'm ashamed to say that I ran away. I took Appa and left, and… well, I don't really remember what happened after that. The next thing I knew I was waking up in Katara's arms, a whole one hundred years later. One hundred years of war… famine, tyranny…" a profound sorrow seeped into his tone. "All because I was too selfish and immature to accept my duties. I know dishonor, Zuko, and the shame that comes with it. Ever since I came out of that iceberg I've been carrying the burden of my people's genocide. Maybe if I'd been there, I could have done something to stop it."

"No." Sternly, Zuko said. "If you hadn't left, you would have been killed, too."

Then Aang turned to look up at Zuko, smiling crookedly. "Zuko… is it just me, or are you trying to _comfort_ me?"

Looking away piquedly, the prince muttered, "I'm just being realistic."

Then the Avatar's smile melted into a childish sulk, which prompted Zuko to amend, "But… perhaps I was being realistic as well as comforting. If you weren't here now… there wouldn't be any hope for anyone. Even me. As messed up as that sounds…"

His spirits marginally lifted, Aang said, "Yeah, that is pretty messed up. But thank you, Zuko." Then he stood, rinsed the mud from his feet, and hoisted the Fire Prince up once more to continue making progress.

"So Avatar," Zuko said, grunting around his pain as he hobbled and limped, "will you still tell me your name? I guess I really should know the name of the person my own honor is hinged upon."

Then smiling, the Avatar said, "I'm Aang."

...

_Finally_. Finally! Just through the trees and beyond the creek, were the tell-tale signs of a village - clothing hung on lines to dry, a smoke stack billowing from a chimney down the hill, sounds of children laughing and the aroma of freshly baked goods. By the mouth of the creek, a woman sat bent over, scrubbing clothes in the water.

Aang and Zuko were an abysmal sight. Both boys were exhausted, sweating, bruised and scraped and battered and barely able to drag themselves along. Feeling unable to make it much further, Aang called out "Help! Please, help!" He caught the woman's attention just as he collapsed under the weight of the Fire Prince, dropping them both to their knees where Zuko yelled out in extreme agony.

The woman, surprised and frightened, stood abruptly and then froze.

"Ma'am, please," Aang begged, while Zuko writhed in pain, "We need help. My friend - he's hurt badly. It's his leg. I think his leg is broken."

The woman, frightened and unsure, took a few steps forward before backing away and retreating into a nearby shack. Moments later she emerged again, followed by three other women who were equipped with bandages and tourniquets, and together they helped the two boys inside.

After having their respective wounds and injuries tended to, Aang and Zuko were left alone in the hut. Zuko had been fitted with a makeshift splint and was lying down on a bed in the corner, while Aang sat bedside in a chair, guzzling down a pitcher of water and covered in bandages where blood seeped through in dark red streaks. One of the women had told them that Zuko's injuries were too severe to be properly dealt with by the village nurse, but they'd fetch her anyways so she could at least try and keep him comfortable until a proper healer could be summoned.

Zuko recalled what the Avatar had said when they'd first arrived. "...Your _friend?_" he asked, skeptical.

"No matter what you think or feel," Aang said measuredly as he poured a cup of water from the pitcher, "I have never been your enemy. Here, have some. You've gotta be really dehydrated."

Too tired to argue, Prince Zuko accepted the cup, but only took a small sip before lowering it, uninterested.

"How are you feeling?" Aang asked.

"Like I crashed out of the sky and broke my leg. How else should I feel?" The younger boy shrugged and then Zuko said, "...I'm sorry about your glider."

"It's okay. I'm sorry about your… life."

"Yours, too."

"Thank you for sharing your story with me, Zuko," earnestly he said, forehead wrinkled with compassion. "I know it mustn't have been easy."

"Thank you, for helping me. Even though I don't deserve it."

Looking past Zuko and out the window, Aang said gently, "Everyone deserves a chance to do the right thing."

Humorlessly, he laughed a sad laugh. "Is that what you think I'll do? The right thing?" When Aang didn't answer, Zuko felt himself grow disappointed. He'd hoped the Avatar would say, yes, of course you will do the right thing. You have a good heart and you just need to find your way back to the light. But no… there was uncertainty in Aang's silence. Maybe he knew Zuko was too far gone to even know what the 'right thing' really was. Turning his head away, Zuko said "You should get going. Your friends are probably worried sick."

"...They'll be fine. I should stay a little longer - make sure you get taken care of."

"Avatar-" Zuko began in a hard, authoritative voice, before relaxing into a more conversational tone. "I mean, Aang. I'm all right. Really. You've done enough."

"Are you sure?" Apprehensive, he tentatively got ready to stand. "I don't mind staying-"

"Don't you have some elements to master or something?" Zuko snipped, but with humor.

Laughing, Aang finally stood. "How could I ever forget? Okay. I guess you're right. I need to get back." Then, heading for the door, "Thank the women who helped us for me… tell them I'm sorry I had to leave so quickly-"

"Aang, wait." Zuko said urgently, and Aang turned to see that he was struggling to his feet, standing as best as he could and bracing himself on the bedside table. Aang had been about to rush to his side and urge him to sit back down, but something about the look on Zuko's face stopped him. Gravely, Zuko said, "...You do realize that once I've healed… I will have to come after you again. Right?"

Aang's heart broke a little as darkness and disappointment cast over his face. He'd hoped - prayed, even - that their time spent together might have changed the Fire Prince for the better… he'd said every helpful thing he knew how, he'd told him his deepest and most shameful secret… and all for naught? Grim, Aang replied, "We will both do what we have to do."

The firebender nodded respectfully and, bringing his hands together in front of him, inclined his head in a bow. "It has been a privilege to meet you, Avatar Aang."

Aang stood and stared wordlessly for a while before slowly, regally, returning the gesture. "Same to you, Prince Zuko." And then he took his leave.


End file.
